10 Things You May Not Know about Your Own Body

Most of us don’t stop to think about just how amazing the human body is. As long as it’s doing its job, we don’t give it a second thought, and only when it breaks down do we consider learning more about it, or going in for a check-up.

Test yourself on how well you know your own body, and take a moment to appreciate the miracle of being human!

1. How many living organisms are there on the skin of a single human being?

A. More than the number of people in Tokyo

B. More than the number of people in India

C. More than the number of people in China

D. More than the number of people on Earth

Correct answer: D

There are more living organisms on the skin of a single human being than there are human beings on the surface of the earth – and that fact is in no way correlated to the number of showers you take.

2. How large is the surface area of a human lung?

A. The size of a tennis court

B. The size of a double bed

C. The size of an A1 piece of paper

D. The size of an Olympic swimming pool

Correct answer: A

The surface area of a human lung is equal to that of a tennis court, and our lungs inhale over two million litres of air every day. That’s impressive, considering it is about the size of a football and weighs approximately half a kilo. Fun fact: the left lung is smaller than the right, as it has to make room for the heart!

3. How long does it take a red blood cell to circle the entire body?

A. 20 minutes

B. 2 minutes

C. 20 seconds

D. 2 seconds

Correct answer: C

It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circulate the body. Blood travels at three feet per second when it leaves the heart, but it slows down as it gets into smaller arteries and capillaries. The average red blood cell lives for 120 days. How many times will it circulate the body in its lifetime? You do the maths.

4. Which parts of our body never stop growing?

A. feet and nose

B. nose and ears

C. teeth and ears

D. teeth and nose

Correct answer: B

Our nose and ears never stop growing. The largest recorded nose is 8.8 cm long.

Our eyes, on the other hand, never grow. Sorry to disappoint. We have found, however, that they can be somewhat enhanced by a very thick pair of glasses.

5. An adult human has 206 bones. How many bones are we born with?

A. 206

B. 200

C. 100

D. 300

Correct answer: D

At birth we have over 300 bones. As we grow up, some of the bones begin to fuse to-gether, and as a result an adult has only 206. The reason for this is to allow the baby to pass through the birth canal more easily. It takes about two decades for the adult skele-ton to form fully, and that is why calcium is so important at a young age.

6. If your heart were to squirt blood across a room, how far would it go?

A. 6 metres

B. 3 metres

C. 9 metres

D. 0.6 metres

Correct answer: C

For its size, your heart is a remarkably strong pump. It pumps with enough pressure to squirt blood 9 metres across a room. On average, it pumps one to seven gallons of blood a minute, and over the course of your lifetime it will pump one million barrels of blood … enough to fill two oil super tankers! Your heart beats 100,000 times a day, and almost one million times a week. Be still my beating heart!

7. When you blush, what other part of your body blushes with you?

A. The lining of your stomach

B. The palms of your hands

C. The inside of your oesophagus

D. The tips of your fingers

Correct answer: A

When you blush, the lining of your stomach does, too.

In an embarrassing situation, adrenaline is released to prepare for fight or flight. Adrenaline dilates the blood vessels to improve blood and oxygen flow around the body. The veins in your face, and coincidently, your stomach, have more blood flowing through them and thus appear red.

If you are a bashful blusher, take comfort. Studies show that people who blush tend to be more likable and judged less harshly for negative behaviour. It works in your favour!

8. How many fingers do you have?

A. Ten

B. Two

C. Six

D. Eight

Correct answer: D

Count them.
Again.
One more time.
The thumb is not a finger. It is different from the four fingers on your hand because it is opposable and has two phalanges rather than three. So we actually only have 8 fingers.

9. The brain uses ___ oxygen used by the human body.

A. 10 per cent

B. 25 per cent

C. 5 per cent

D. 40 per cent

Correct answer: B

That’s right! The brain uses over a quarter of the oxygen used by the human body. So the answer to any problem is simply to breathe deeper!

10. In your lifetime, how much saliva will you produce?

A. Enough to fill two swimming pools

B. Enough to fill two bathtubs

C. Enough to fill two large saucepans

D. Enough to fill two cereal bowls

Correct answer: A

You are a spit-making machine! Making around 1 to 1.6 litres of saliva a day, you'll pro-duce enough spit to fill two swimming pools in your lifetime. The trick is to not let it out all at once.